What is the origin of the name Tibet? What are the historical changes in Tibet?

Tibet Autonomous Region (Tibetan: བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, Tibetan Pinyin: Poi Ranggyong Jong, Willy: Bod rang skyong ljongs), formerly known as "Fan", abbreviated as "Zang", with its capital in Lhasa, is one of the five ethnic autonomous regions in China. So what is the origin of the name of Tibet? What are the historical changes in Tibet? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network below!

Contents of this article

1. What is the origin of the name Tibet?

2. What are the historical changes in Tibet?

3. What are the administrative divisions of Tibet?

What is the origin of the name Tibet?

The word "Tibet" (bodljong in Tibetan) in Chinese refers to the Tibet Autonomous Region (bodrangskyongljong in Tibetan) of the People's Republic of China, abbreviated as Tibet. Tibet was named after the central government of the Qing Dynasty officially named it. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was Tubo; in the Yuan Dynasty, it belonged to the Xuanzhengyuan; in the Ming Dynasty, it was called Wusi Zang, and a Dusi was set up; in the early Qing Dynasty, it was called Weizang, with Weizang being the former Tibet and Zang being the latter Tibet; later it was officially named Tibet, marking the beginning of the name of Tibet; in the Qing Dynasty, a minister for Tibet affairs was set up; in the early Republic of China, the Tibet region; after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established in 1965, and the word Tibet became the abbreviation of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the single word abbreviation was "Zang".

The English word "Tibet" may have originated from the Turks and Mongols calling the Tibetans "Tubote", which was introduced to the West by the Arabs during the Yuan Dynasty, and is also derived from the Tibetans' self-proclaimed name bod. In terms of ethnicity, Tibet corresponds to "Tibetan"; but in terms of geographical terms, Tibet sometimes corresponds to "Tibet" and sometimes refers to the entire Tibetan area, which is significantly different from the meaning of "Tibet".

What is the historical change in Tibet?

In ancient times, Tibetan clans were formed. Gradually, they evolved into four major clans in Tibet: Sai, Mu, Dun, and Dong. On this basis, the two clans of "Re" and "Zhu" were added, collectively known as the "Six Major Clans".

A large number of ancient objects excavated in Tibet can provide some scientific evidence of how Tibetan humans developed. Archaeologists have discovered a large number of objects such as various stone tools, pottery, bone tools, ornaments, grain seeds, and even ancient human skulls from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The ancient human bones excavated from the banks of the Niyang River do not have the primitive characteristics of apes and belong to modern humans. The bones of the "Nichi (Linzhi) people" are about 4,000 years old, while the (human bones) of the Neolithic period or the era of the use of both iron and stone.

In the early 7th century, the powerful Tang Dynasty was established in the Central Plains, ending the more than 300 years of chaotic division in the Chinese mainland. At the same time, the Xiboye tribe, which rose in Yalong, Shannan, Tibet, gradually conquered various tribes and established the first regime in history to unify all tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - the Tubo Dynasty.

Songtsen Gampo, the king of Tubo, admired the civilization of the Central Plains and proposed to the Tang Dynasty several times. In the 15th year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty (641 AD), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty married Princess Wencheng to Songtsen Gampo. Princess Wencheng's entry into Tubo strengthened the economic and cultural exchanges between the Tang and Tubo countries and enhanced the friendly relations between Han and Tibetans.

In the early 8th century, the Tang Dynasty married Princess Jincheng to Tubo, and Tubo and the Tang Dynasty became one family.

With the two marriages between the Tubo Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, the two sides had frequent exchanges, extensive and in-depth political, economic and cultural exchanges, and comprehensive development of people-to-people exchanges. The relationship between the Tibetans and other ethnic groups in China reached an unprecedented closeness. The two sides held eight alliances, and the "Tang-Tibetan Alliance Monument" (also called the "Changqing Alliance Monument" and the "Nephew-Uncle Alliance Monument" is still standing in front of the main gate of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. It was erected after the eighth alliance. In the following three or four hundred years, the Tibetans had close ties with the Northern Song Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, the Western Xia Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty and other regimes.

In 1271, the Mongol Khan Kublai Khan named his country Yuan. U-Tsang (now central and western Tibet and its western areas), Dogan and other places became part of the unified multi-ethnic Yuan Empire. From then on, Tibet was officially brought under the direct jurisdiction of the Chinese central government.

What is the administrative division of Tibet?

In 1960, the Tibet Autonomous Region (under preparation) established Lhasa City (prefecture level). It governed 9 counties, namely, Linzhou, Damxiong, Dagze, Qushui, Mezhugongka, Nyingchi, Doilungdeqen, and Pangduo; established Nagqu Prefecture, governed 9 counties, namely, Heihe, Baqing, Bange, Burang, Amdo, Nierong, Sogxian, Damusakya, and Shenzha; established Qamdo Prefecture, governed 12 counties, namely, Qamdo, Gyamda, Gongjue, Ningjing, Lholong, Dingqing, Bianba, Chaya, Sang'angqu, Basu, Leiwuqi, and Zuogong; established Shannan Prefecture, governed Nadong, Sangri, Gyaca, Langxian, Lagari, Lhuntse, Cona, Zhegu, Qiongjie , Lhoza, Gonggar, and Zhanang; Gyangze Prefecture was established, with jurisdiction over 6 counties: Gyangze, Renbu, Langkazi, Dalung, Bailang, and Yadong; Shigatse Prefecture was established, with jurisdiction over 11 counties: Shigatse, Namling, Dinggye, Sakya, Lhaze, Tingri, Nyalam, Gyirong, Saga, Angren, and Xietongmen; Ngari Prefecture was established, with jurisdiction over 7 counties: Gar, Ritog, Gegye, Geze, Zhongba, Purang, and Zanda; Nyingchi Prefecture was established, with jurisdiction over 7 counties: Nyingchi, Medog, Gongbu Gyamda, Sherpa, Bomi, Milin, and Jiali. (Approved by the State Council on January 7, 1960)

In 1964, the Tibet Autonomous Region (Preparatory) abolished the Linzhi Prefecture, and its four counties of Linzhi, Milin, Gongbu Gyamda and Medog were transferred to Lhasa; Jiali County was transferred to Nagqu Prefecture; Bomi County was transferred to Qamdo Prefecture (approved by the State Council on July 27, 1964); Gyantse Prefecture was abolished, and its Langkazi County was transferred to Shannan Prefecture; Gyantse, Kangma, Renbu, Yadong and Bailang counties were transferred to Shigatse Prefecture (approved by the State Council on October 31, 1964)